The switchover from analog to digital television broadcasting has already happened in various parts of the globe, bringing concrete benefits to viewers. In Africa, the digital switch is set for June. But a swathe of African countries are unprepared for the changeover. And many consumers on the continent are also confused about what the move to digital TV means. This could leave umpteen TV watchers sitting in front of blank screens, cut off from one of their main sources of information

read more

A mobile revolution is exploding throughout Africa, giving a new generation of Africans access to mobile phones and mobile internet. This creates significant challenges, as well as opportunities, for media companies in Africa who need to find innovative ways to attract new readers and new revenue streams. onMedia’s Steffen Leidel talks with Justin Arenstein from the African Media Initiative about how mobiles are changing Africa’s media landscape.

read more

Titilayo Kumilonje Dzabala is an online journalist for the Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), the country’s state broadcaster. She studied English literature and philosophy at university in Malawi’s commercial capital, Blantyre, where she grew up and still works. The twenty-six year old didn’t plan on becoming a journalist. But now she’s been in the job for more than four years, she loves it – mainly because of the chance it gives her to tell people’s stories. Tech-crazy, Titilayo dreams of one day producing more multi-media content and spending more time blogging about the stories that matter to her. Titilayo talked to onMedia’s Kate Hairsine about the excitement of constantly learning, why she loves editing and how shooting video can drive her crazy.

read more

Twelve journalists from two countries in six teams = amazing stories. A recent DW Akademie media dialogue in Nairobi paired up Kenyan and German journalists for training and joint reporting. The mixed teams benefited from their different approaches and experiences, resulting in great ideas.

read more

As more and more newspapers around the world feel the crunch of competition from the Internet, the big question is: what is going to happen to print? DW Akademie invited 11 newspaper managers and editors from countries as diverse as Kenya and Kyrgyzstan to Germany to explore ways of preparing and adapting their papers for a digital future.  We asked some of them how they thought print journalism might evolve in the years to come. Here are their answers.

read more

In the latest installment of African Stories, see how garbage is turned into energy, hear about the fight against a devastating banana disease and meet Kampala’s grandfather of electronics as well as an AIDS activist determined to speak out about the disease.

The feature reports were recently produced as part of the 2013 African Stories series of workshops for TV journalists, camera operators, cutters and technicians (scroll to the bottom of the post to see the videos).

TV stations from 16 English and French speaking African countries are taking part in the long-term project to sharpen their skills and at the same time, produce compelling stories about everyday people and everday lives in Africa (you can find out more about the African Stories project here).

In August, TV teams from Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda met in Kampala for an 11-day workshop. This time, the DW Akademie trainers stepped up the challenge by introducing techniques for filming with a moving camera – a skill that needs some practice.

read more

In the next of our Journalists@Work series, we meet Mongezi Chief Zulu, a print journalist in the tiny kingdom of Swaziland in southern Africa. Under the byline Phathizwe-Chief Zulu, he writes developmental, political and economic features for the Nation, a monthly political magazine with a reputation for critical reporting. The thirty eight year old also works for AFP as a stringer, having previously worked for AP for several years.

Swaziland, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarchy, has little independent journalism, rating 155 out of 179 countries on Reporters Without Borders’ Press Freedom Index. Broadcast media are heavily censored and most mainstream newspapers engage in intense self-censorship. Zulu is extremely proud of working for one of the few independent voices in his country.  DW Akademie’s Kate Hairsine spoke to Zulu about his work.

read more

Africa is booming, economically and artistically. And riding on this boom are home-grown African photographers who are capturing alternative images of this rapidly-changing continent. If a picture tells a thousand words, then many photographs taken by Western photographers tell stories of grief and misery. From images of child soldiers brandishing weapons to sickeningly emaciated children, Africa is often portrayed as a continent of war, famine and poverty.

The rise of African photographers, however, is seeing other images emerge of a vibrant continent determined to express itself through its own images. Along with this is increasing recognition of the importance of supporting local photographers. Deutsche Welle, for example, has just awarded a new prize for human rights photography in Africa as part of the German Development Media Awards. One of the few African institutions dedicated solely to photography is the Market Photo Workshop based in Johannesburg. DW Akademie talked to Market Photo Workshop’s head, John Fleetwood, about the importance of photography in Africa, how the scene has changed in the past few decades and some of the challenges African photographers face.

read more

“C’est où votre péripétie?” demande Ramata Konaté. Ibrahima Keita la regarde. Il montre du doigt au mur où il a collé son story-board: “C’est ici que le ramasseur du sel compte ses bassines de sel.”

Nous sommes à Dakar en pleine session de formation. Quatre équipes de télé, venant de quatre pays différents, chacune composées d’un journaliste, d’un caméraman et d’un monteur se sont réunis pour suivre la première session du projet Histoires Africaines II.

C’est le dernier jour de préparation, demain les tournages commencent. Le but de ces deux semaines de formation: Tourner des grands reportages de qualité. Après des exercices de prise de vue et de longues discussions sur les sujets et leurs dramaturgies les participants ont planifié leurs tournages respectifs. Une fois sur le terrain la réalité en est une autre, mais nos équipes font preuve de la flexibilité et de l’acharnement. Ils montent leurs reportages jusque tard dans la nuit, s’appliquent pour écrire un texte pertinent et bricolent jusqu’à ce que le son d’ambiance colle à cent pour cent. Et voici quatre grands reportages réussis.

read more

As new media continues to reshape the world of journalism, newsrooms need to reinvent themselves to stay relevant. But not all journalists and organizations have the technological skills to become innovative news providers. This is where Hacks/Hackers is stepping in to fill the gap. Hacks/Hackers is a grassroots journalism organization which brings together journalists and software developers. Originating in the United States, chapters of the movement are rapidly spreading around the globe, including Africa. The idea is to hook up hackers (developers and software writers) who sort and visualize information together with hacks (journalists) who are excited about using new technology to tell great stories.

Justin Arenstein is one of the driving figures behind the Hacks/Hackers movement in Africa, where there are currently 13 chapters. Arenstein, a South African, is currently a Knight International Journalism Fellow in charge of the Digital Innovation Program at the Africa Media Initiative. He also is a consulting strategist for Google on data and digital journalism issues (Twitter: @justinarenstein). DW Akademie’s Kate Hairsine talked to him about Hacks/Hackers in Africa.

read more